Thanksgiving Point Fall 2019 Gazette

Gazette THANKSGIVING POINT

W H E R E FA M I L I E S C O M E T O G E T H E R | FA L L 2 019 VO L U M E 7, I S S U E 3

IN THIS ISSUE: Passionate Growing Leaders

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DIY Halloween Fun p 6-7 Luminaria: What’s in a Name? p 11-13 Butterflies: Seasonal Traveling p 14-15

Family traditions continue for a 4th year at Ashton Gardens

Gazette THANKSGIVING POINT

TO MAKE A DONATION ThanksgivingPoint.org/give

TO SCHEDULE AN EVENT 801.768.4947

TICKET SALES 801.768.4900 Toll Free 888.672.6040

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 801.768.7478 membership@thanksgivingpoint.org ThanksgivingPoint.org/membership

EDUCATION 801.768.4971

GENERAL INQUIRIES 801.768.2300

VOLUNTEER INQUIRIES 801.768.7426

PUBLISHER Erica Brown Thanksgiving Point 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way Lehi, Utah 84043 801.768.2300

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Josh Berndt

ASSISTANT EDITORS Emily Duffy Jodie Fisher Rachel Olsen

ART DIRECTOR Jeremy Andrus

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Berndt Austin Brown Hannah Browne Kamille Combs Marissa Harrison

Deborah Ivie Amanda Lundberg Taylor Porter Katie Zackrison

SOCIAL MEDIA @thankspoint / Thanksgiving Point

WEBSITE ThanksgivingPoint.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

WINTER APPROACHES WITH FUN TO BE HAD As winter approaches and the holidays with it we invite you to continue to make countless and lasting memories with us at Thanksgiving Point. This past January we opened our fifth venue, the Butterfly Biosphere to reviews like this: “The Biosphere is fascinating. I loved how the plants were labeled, enhancing the educational experience. The exhibits are great for kids of all ages and abilities (sensory friendly and ADA accessible). The staff were very friendly and professional. We can’t wait to go back!”

-Erin, June 2019

Thousands of guests from around the world have interacted with and learned about these magnificent creatures. Have you?

Each day the Butterfly Biosphere offers live “bug shows” to introduce some of the amazing animals that call the Butterfly Biosphere home. The helpful education staff even help guests face their fears and hold animals like tarantulas. If you’ve not attended a live show, it’s a must-do and included with your membership. Daily shows are at noon, 2 pm, and 4 pm. Make sure to attend one soon!

As a Thanksgiving Point member, you enjoy special privileges. You already know about free admission to the Butterfly Biosphere and four additional venues: Museum of Natural Curiosity, Museum of Ancient Life, Ashton Gardens, and Farm Country. Your membership also gives you benefits including restaurant and gift shop discounts and free admission to events like Scarecrow Festival at Ashton Gardens. A popular benefit during fall is the 25 percent discount to Cornbelly’s at Thanksgiving Point. Each year thousands of members use this discount to enjoy the themed corn maze, fall games, entertainment, and food.

Luminaria is entering its fourth year as the premier holiday experience in our region. Guest favorites include the 6,500 dancing luminaries on the “Merry Mosaic,” live reindeer, and themed activities throughout. This year adds interactive sections where you will actually control lights to create your own magic scenes. It will be a wonderful and new experience.

Also new this year, we heard members loud and clear that you love Luminaria.

Thanks to your feedback, we are thrilled to announce new special member pricing for Luminaria. All member Luminaria tickets purchased during the October presale are $10! This offer is for any date or time (peak and off peak) for general admission. This is a great deal but must be purchased during the month of October. We hope it encourages you to bring family, friends, and community to share in this magical holiday event. Be on the lookout for emails and communications from our Membership Department to get your times booked before popular days and times sell out.

Finally, while I can’t thank you individually for your support of Thanksgiving Point I would like to thank you collectively. Please know that you, our members, are the lifeblood of our organization and Thanksgiving Point appreciates your support. Thank you for creating precious family memories here. Your support is part of what makes Thanksgiving Point what it is today.

Thank you,

Thanksgiving Point Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit farm, garden, and museum complex that draws upon the natural world to cultivate transformative family learning.

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Mike L Washburn

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES

SCARECROW FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS 5TH YEAR AUSTIN BROWN, SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES DIRECTOR

BUILD A SCARECROW! Want to contribute your creativity to the Scarecrow Festival? Grab you coworkers, friends, and families to build your own! Win amazing prizes!

All entries receive 4 tickets to the Scarecrow Festival and one entry into the Grand Prize Drawing.

People’s Choice First Place: Trophy, $100 Visa Gift Card, 2 VIP Luminaria tickets for 2019 season ($80 value), scarecrow image featured on the Thanksgiving Point marquee and social media.

Second Place: Trophy, $50 Visa Gift Card, 2 (two) Luminaria general admission tickets w/2 Hot Chocolate coupons for the 2019 season ($50 value).

Third Place: Trophy, Dinner for 4 (four) at Chick-fil-A Lehi/American Fork, $25 Larry H. Miller Megaplex Gift Card.

Judge’s Choice

2019 marks the 5th year of the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Throughout the autumn painted Ashton Gardens, you’ll see more than 70 scarecrows built by members of the community. You and your family can be a part of this festival by making a scarecrow to display for the duration of the festival as well. With your entry of a scarecrow you receive passes to return to the festival and see your display. The creativity of our community really shines at this event. Scarecrow submissions are due Saturday, October 12th. Scarecrows are then judged by the public and a panel of judges.

Winners get a prize pack which includes

gift cards, Thanksgiving Point family memberships, and other goodies.

Trophy, Thanksgiving Point Family OR Grandparent Membership ($275 value), $100 Amazon Gift Card, scarecrow image featured on the Thanksgiving Point marquee and social media.

This year’s categories are: • Grand Prize (randomly selected) • Judge’s Choice • People’s Choice 1st, 2nd, & 3rd

Grand Prize

(Valued at over $500)

The Festival kicks off Monday, October 14th and goes through Saturday, October 19th at Ashton Gardens. ThursdaySaturday has festival entertainment, vendors, bounce houses, games, and educational activities. The festival is daily from 10 am-6 pm and is included with admission.

Randomly chosen on the last day of the festival. Dinner for 4 (four) at Harvest Restaurant ($100 value), Thanksgiving Point family OR grandparent membership ($275), 4 (four) Luminaria Premier Passes for the 2019 season ($125 value).

Visit ThanksgivingPoint.org/ scarecrow-request to submit your entry.

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YOUTH PROGRAMS

A PEEK INTO GROWING LEADERS AND 4-H PROGRAMS AT THANKSGIVING POINT DEBORAH IVIE, UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR TAYLOR PORTER, FORMER PROGRAM LEAD 4-H THANKSGIVING POINT

I took a walk through Thanksgiving Point’s Farm Country on a hot and dusty July morning. I stepped around a handful of youth clad in bright blue shirts, helping with farm chores. I found another group in the Garden Classroom, making vegetable prints for display in the upper gallery of the Museum of Ancient Life. As I continued my visit, I found clusters of kids all over, happily engaged in various farm activities. These 4-H Junior Master Gardener club members were led by pleasant, enthusiastic teen leaders volunteering with the Growing Leaders program.

Growing Leaders is a teen-run volunteer group at Thanksgiving Point. These teens are part of a service-based 4-H Club. Many have participated in other Thanksgiving Point clubs and summer camps and are now taking the opportunity to give back to the community through service. These dedicated teens are the backbone of the Junior Master Gardener Club, working directly with youth each week in completing farm chores, craft activities, and agricultural learning experiences.

This year, Growing Leaders members have provided more than 2,000 hours of service at Thanksgiving Point. They have led summer camps, volunteered at Thanksgiving Point attractions, and provided leadership and man power at special events. The Growing Leaders

program gives youth the opportunity to harness their passions. The club provides training every other month to build leadership skills. They design and participate in service projects each year in addition to regular volunteer duties.

this summer at Thanksgiving Point, I am more social and not socially awkward. I don’t have a problem speaking to people.”

Another said, “I love Growing Leaders because of the opportunities it gives me to help others.”

The 4-H Growing Leaders club is based on a “TRY (Teens Reaching Youth) Team” model. A TRY Team is a club model that benefits both teen leaders and younger 4-H participants. Studies have shown that youth develop more persistence when they are led by volunteers close to their own age. Kids develop a deeper interest in the subjects they are studying, are less likely to miss an activity, and are more likely to become volunteers themselves.

When teens mentor younger kids, the teens learn leadership skills while providing strong role models for the kids they work with. One of our youth leaders stated, “You know, I feel that after working

But what do the Growing Leaders gain from the experience? First, these youth who have aged out of many of our summer camps and clubs get the chance to continue to follow their passions! They can play at our museums alongside our staff, helping visitors to have a better experience. They develop leadership qualities and may serve in the club presidency to gain experience planning and leading groups. But, in the words of one club member, “My favorite part of Growing Leaders is volunteering and having fun!”

To join Growing Leaders, go to ThanksgivingPoint.org/volunteer or email growingleaders@thanksgivingpoint.org.

Information on Growing Leaders and other 4-H programs at Thanksgiving Point can be found at ThanksgivingPoint.org/jmg. Information on joining 4-H statewide can be found at utah4h.org.

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INTRIGUE AND MYSTERY

CORNBELLY’S CORN MAZE INSANITY POINT & PUMPKIN FEST KAMILLE COMBS, CORNBELLY’S MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR

There’s a bit of intrigue and mystery in the air at Utah’s original corn maze as Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest open September 27 for its 24th season. This year’s theme is paying tribute to Harry Potter with a magical, new “World of Wizards” maze design! Complimenting this year’s maze design will be a number of themed festivities Harry Potter fans will likely recognize, including wizard meet & greets, special photo opportunities & costume contests, new food items like “butter belly beer”, a special fireworks presentation and much more.

In addition, visitors can also enjoy Insanity Point haunted attractions, a pumpkin courtyard and more than 50 other fall attractions. There are more than 10 new additions this year, including: Granny’s Gravity

House, a Bee-UTAH-ful honeybee exhibit, and an enchanting new bird experience too.

Special discounts and times are available for school field trips, scouts, corporate teambuilding and group outings. For the general public, Cornbelly’s operates Sept. 27 – Nov. 2 from 4-10 pm Monday-Thursday, and 10 am to midnight on Friday, Saturday and fall break days. It is closed Sundays and October 31.

For more information, call 801-794-3276 or visit www.cornbellys.com.

Thanksgiving Point members can visit and play at Cornbelly’s for 25% off the ticketed price as part of their membership’s benefits when presenting card at admissions.

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YOU’RE MY DENSITY

WITCH’S DIY HALLOWEEN POTION AMANDA LUNDBERG, SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES MANAGER

Halloween is truly a spectacular time of year where everything feels mystical and magical.

This Halloween try a fun do-it-yourself density “potion” experiment to get you in the Halloween spirit! (Kids—be sure to ask an adult or older sibling for help creating your potion.)

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Here’s the supplies you’ll need:

Instructions: 1

Get out your clean test tube or small, glass measuring cup.

2

If you are not using food coloring, skip to step 5.

3

In 3 separate plastic cups, pour a generous amount (about ½ cup) of the following ingredients (one ingredient per cup): water, corn syrup, and rubbing alcohol.

4

Add one of your food colorings to the cup of water, a different food coloring to the corn syrup, and the final color to the rubbing alcohol.

Mix in the coloring well.

5

Pour about 1 tablespoon (or more, if you are using a bigger measuring cup) of each liquid into the test tube in the following order:

• Corn Syrup • Vegetable Oil • Dawn Dish Soap • Water • Honey • Rubbing Alcohol • 3 different food colorings (optional, but adds a fun visual effect)

• Test tube or small glass measuring cup • Clear, plastic cups

a b c d e f 6

Honey Corn Syrup Dawn Dish Soap Water Vegetable Oil Rubbing Alcohol

Take a moment to observe what you see!

How It Works: Why do the different liquids separate so distinctly? While it may seem magical, it’s actually science! The answer to this strange reaction is DENSITY. Density is a measure of how much mass is contained in a given unit volume (density = mass divided by volume). Each liquid has a different “mass per weight” quotient, which in turn makes that liquid heavier or lighter than another liquid with a differing density.

The order in which the liquids are put into the test tubes is important because they enter the test tube starting with the liquid at the highest density and ending with the liquid with the lowest density.

Now that you’ve made your very own density potion, you’re ready to meet other potion brewers! We’ll have plenty available to meet at our Witch’s Breakfast on October 18-19. You won’t want to miss the spooky fun! Featuring a delicious breakfast buffet, visits from cackling witches, and Halloween memories for the whole family. Tickets can be purchased online at ThanksgivingPoint.org and are limited.

Happy Halloween!

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September 21 Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these “makers” to show hobbies, experiments, and projects. Not only will you have the opportunity to learn from the energetic makers present, but you will have the chance to become a maker yourself! There will be a myriad of hands-on, interactive activities for all ages to enjoy and to inspire innovativeness and resourcefulness.

ELECTRIC PARK

MINI MAKER FAIRE

You are invited to an event like none other. In partnership with Riley Blake Designs, Thanksgiving Point is bringing to Utah an outdoor exhibition of well over a thousand quilts set within the award-winning, 55-acre Ashton Gardens.

This is an exhibition you won’t want to miss!

ASHTON GARDENS

GARDEN OF QUILTS

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October 14-19

October 26

October 18-19 Celebrate Halloween with the whole family at our second annual Witch’s Breakfast! A delicious breakfast will be served alongside some spooky visitors. Make this breakfast a Halloween tradition that your family will enjoy for years to come!

GARDEN ROOM

WITCH’S BREAKFAST

Join us for the Latin American holiday Dia de Los Muertos at Thanksgiving Point! Legend has it that on Dia de Los Muertos, the dead join us as a part of our community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with loved ones. The Show Barn will be filled with the sights and sounds of this special holiday including the artful calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls), and alters made by members of the community to celebrate their family members. Dancers representing the colorful traditions of Latin American countries perform along with mariachi bands, singers, and storytellers.

SHOW BARN

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Enjoy the beautiful autumn colors in the expansive 55-acres of the Ashton Gardens with dozens of imaginative scarecrows built and submitted by the community. Come appreciate the creativity of the hand-crafted scarecrows and vote on your favorites. This week-long festival will also feature fun outdoor games, crafts, music and yummy food!

ASHTON GARDENS

SCARECROW FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 2019

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PLANET PALOOZA

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November 28

November 22 – January 4 Bundle up and head over to Luminaria: an enchanting mile walk that will transport you into a magical holiday world as you make your way through the captivating Ashton Gardens. With 6,500 programmable luminaries blanketing the sweeping Grand Allée, each light acts as a pixel in a moving picture showcasing blooming poinsettias, flying reindeer, and dynamic symbols of the season. You’ll be amazed by the 120-foot tree—all lit up and ready to be admired. Continue your holiday stroll while indulging all your senses in special touches like s’mores at the glowing fire pit, hot chocolate and sweets from the gift boutique, interactive game areas for children and adults alike, even peppermint-scented mulch. Make this the first year of your new tradition and come experience the light.

ASHTON GARDENS

LUMINARIA

The Pilgrim 5k at Thanksgiving Point is a costume run unlike any other! The course is marked with iconic pilgrim scenes and culminates with your own finishing moment at Plymouth Rock.

ASHTON GARDENS

PILGRIM 5K

Head over to the Museum of Ancient life for a Planet Palooza! With all of the activities, the fun will be out of this world!

MUSEUM OF ANCIENT LIFE

PLANET PALOOZA

NOVEMBER 2019

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

LUMINARIA WHAT’S IN A NAME? JOSH BERNDT, COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR

Many years ago, as a young boy growing up in Arizona my best friend and I felt the entrepreneurial bug and began a holiday luminaria business.

A traditional luminaria is a brown paper bag, which has been folded at the top, filled with a couple cups of sand and a candle. We created flyers and took them to all our neighborhood and waited for the money to roll in. And while I am still waiting for that money to roll in we did get one call (in those days you had to call on a telephone attached to your home’s landline, it was nuts). One neighbor asked us to do this display. I want to say we made $30, but it was a sweet $30! Fast forward to 2016 and the outset of Thanksgiving Point’s newest winter experience, one that we chose to call Luminaria. Thankfully, I wasn’t asked to put bags with sand and candles across the lawn at the 55-acre Ashton Gardens!

Ancient Christian tradition says that a luminaria lit the way for Mary and Joseph in their search for lodging in Bethlehem during the meridian of time. Today, across the southwestern United States primarily, the luminaria is a small bonfire celebration lasting nine days and dating back approximately 300 years. New Mexico is generally known as the hub of luminaria displays each year in the US. Brenna Moore, PR and Communications Manager for Visit Albuquerque says, “The New Mexican tradition began when the Spanish villages along the Rio Grande display(ing) the unique and easy-to-make Christmas lanterns, called luminarias, to welcome the Christ child into the world.” Each December Albuquerque’s historic Old Town neighborhood features more than a thousand twinkling luminarias.

In addition to luminaria festivals in New Mexico you’ll find festivals and celebrations throughout Arizona and Texas, just to name a few states. There are even luminaria festivals throughout the world and in Canada and a number of winter areas too including right here in Utah.

At Thanksgiving Point we’ve taken our own adaptation and tried to make it something unique while holding onto these amazing traditions of the luminary. Guests visiting Luminaria: Experience the Light each winter at Ashton Gardens are immersed by the sights, smells, and sounds of the holiday as they walk the pathways. Throughout the walk are nearly 30 different “beats” that feature different aspects of the holiday season. The highlight is the

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6,500 LED programmed luminaries that are set to music and meander down the hill to the 120foot Christmas tree in the Gardens. Each year as Luminaria gains in popularity Thanksgiving Point adds new features, new foods, and new experiences for all ages. 2019 will be the year of “interactivity” at Luminaria. We have partnered with the Jen Lewin Studio to feature their exhibit “Aqueous”, an illuminated pathway that is fluid to each step.

This art installation is fully immersive and an interactive experience. Guests will experience more interactive games, lanterns with lights you control and move, and so much more. The holidays are a wonderful opportunity for all of us to reflect and enjoy traditions, both new and old. Thank you for including our Luminaria to your holidays each year.

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MEMBER PRESALE COMING SOON! Soon you will receive an email with instructions on how to participate in the presale that runs from October 1st – 31st.

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MONARCH MIGRATION

WHERE DO BUTTERFLIES GO FOR THE HOLIDAYS? MARISSA HARRISON, BUTTERFLY BIOSPHERE CONTAINMENT DIRECTOR & HEAD ENTOMOLOGIST

As the fall and winter holidays roll around, humans tend to migrate to where their friends and family live to enjoy special time together. Some butterflies also migrate to be with each other for the winter, but most find ways to hunker down and endure the cold until spring. Let’s see how some of our Utah natives get through the season!

The renowned Monarch butterfly (Danaeus plexippus) is the best example of a butterfly that migrates south for the winter. Over the course of the spring and summer, they’ve undergone three generations of butterflies moving north towards Canada from Mexico or southern California, following the warm weather, blooming flowers, and caterpillar host plant, milkweed. As the summer days begin to cool, the Monarchs that emerge in the fall begin the long flight all the way back to southern California and Mexico. There, they’ll roost together in the thousands within the same trees every year – no one knows how they know

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which trees to return to! When spring arrives, they begin the journey back north to lay eggs and start the cycle all over again.

Most butterflies survive winter by entering a phase called diapause, which is kind of like the insect version of hibernation. During diapause, they are in a state of arrested development until environmental conditions are ideal. This means they don’t need to eat, drink, or release waste products, and they also don’t continue to grow. Diapause can occur in response to other environmental conditions, like extreme drought, but the onset of winter is the most common trigger to enter this state for two reasons: it will be too cold for the butterflies to fly since they are ectothermic and rely on heat to warm them into activity, and because there won’t be enough host plant available in the winter to sustain caterpillars or nectar for butterflies. When the temperatures are warm enough, it triggers these insects to end diapause and become active again.

Northern Range of Milkwe

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Fall migration Spring migration Summer breeding areas Spring breeding areas

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Overwintering areas Non-migratory population

Different species of butterflies go through diapause during specific stages of their life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult. Butterflies most commonly overwinter as caterpillars or chrysalises; they are both able to produce antifreeze-type chemicals in their bodies which prevent ice crystals from forming. Anicia Checkerspots (Euphydryas anicia) overwinter as caterpillars, and the Western Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio rutulus) overwinter as chrysalises. Coppers, like the Silvery Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus), and Hairstreak Butterflies typically overwinter as eggs. The group of butterflies called the tortoiseshells or anglewing butterflies actually overwinter as adults – their cryptic wing shape and camouflaged underside of the wings helps to hide them among the other dead leaves of winter as they rest within rock crevices or between bark. The Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is one of these.

RELEASE A BUTTERFLY Release a newly emerged butterfly on its very first flight in the Butterfly Biosphere conservatory.

Two time slots available: 11 am & 3:30pm There will be 30 total butterflies per day, 15 at each time slot.

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You’ve seen the amazing luminaries at Luminaria: Experience the Light, now make your very own for your home!

Step 1: Get a lunch-sized brown bag (For best results, pick colored gift sacks that are made of thick paper or paper that is not transparent).

Step 3: If available, glue tissue paper to the inside of the bag. This will help your design shine through when the candles are lit.

Step 2: Create whatever design you’d like on the front and back of your bag. Draw and cut out. (Ensure that your pattern does not allow too much open space on the front of your bag. Too much open space can decrease the stability of your bag and allow it to crumple).

Step 4: Find a place outside where your luminaries will shine and be seen!

Step 5: Fill your bag with some sand so the candles can stay upright and lit.

Step 6: Light your luminary.

It is recommended to use a battery-powered candle.

Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6 for as many as you’d like.

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage

3003 N. Thanksgiving Way Lehi, UT 84043

PAID Orem, UT Permit No. 110

Special thanks to our property partners:

Thanksgiving Point’s

Imagine That! Gala and Discovery Cup Golf Challenge We are pleased to report that this year’s Imagine That! Gala & Discovery Cup Golf Challenge raised $524,000 in sponsorships and donations! Thank you for helping to make a difference in support of our mission of transformative family learning. Proceeds from this charity event raised money for our scholarship fund and educational programs at our venues to support underserved youth and schools.

Please mark your calendar for next year’s events on August 6, 2020 (Gala) and August 7, 2020 (Golf). Thank you for your continued support of our mission. If you would like to donate, please go to ThanksgivingPoint.org/join-give.

Thank You to Our Corporate Partners 4Life Research

DigiCert

Little Giant Ladder

UCCU

97th Floor

Dominion Energy

Mountain Star Hospitals

US Synthetic

Adobe

dōTERRA

NuSkin

Utah Broadband

Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation

ENIUM

Oakdell Eggs

ESG

Outlets at Traverse Mountain

Utah Department of Arts & Museums

Best Buy

Expedia Cruise Ship Centers

Podium

Built Bar

RBM

City of Lehi

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation

Chick-fil-A

Gardner Company

Springfree Trampoline

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Kahlert Foundation

Sprouts

Larry H. Miller Family Foundation

Stack Real Estate

Coca-Cola

Skipio

Troon Golf

Utah Division of Water Quality Utah Valley Magazine Visible Supply Chain Management Vivint Smart Home Walmart Xfinity Zions Bank